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(Image: Archi Banal)
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Pop CultureNovember 30, 2022

What’s with all the ads for candlelit concerts?

(Image: Archi Banal)
(Image: Archi Banal)

These days my Facebook feed seems to mostly consist of ads for photogenic ‘candlelight concerts’ – and yours is probably the same. But are they for real?

As Twitter slowly implodes and we all disperse to various other social media platforms, I’ve returned to Facebook. And with that change of platforms has come the discovery that Facebook has been taken over. Not by bots or trolls. By candlelight concerts. 

Every scroll down my news feed seems to surface another ad for another string quartet gig, allegedly lit by the light of a thousand flickering candles. The songs of Taylor Swift, Billie Eilish, Queen, The Beatles, Vivaldi – all can apparently be heard by candlelight at a venue near you.

Is it a scam? It definitely looks quite scammy. Will you “Buy Your Friends And Family The Chance For Them To Choose Their Favourite Candlelight Experience” this Christmas?

Merry Christmas (Photo: Facebook)

Another suspiciously AI-generated sounding post from “Secret Auckland” asks: “Did you know that the majority of people who go to Candlelight do so with a good mate, in a group of friends, or with family?”

A good mate (Photo: Facebook)

Clicking on one of these oddly-worded ads does little to convince me these are real events actually taking place in Auckland seemingly every night of the week. “The number of candles is enough to transform any venue into a wondrous spectacle and to elevate the ambience to dreamy new heights,” the website proudly proclaims. “Material gifts might not last the test of time but memories of a magical night will last forever and there are none that match the intensity of a masterful candlelit performance.”

These descriptions are matched by equally glowing reviews. “We had a wonderful time and the venue was perfect for an intimate gathering,” says the mysterious David S. “This was great! The talent, the ambiance, the vibe made for a really great evening,” adds Daisha T. “Such a calm cosy beautiful experience. The classic sounds floating through the candle light venue was amazing. A must do,” claims Shari M. 

The company behind most of the gigs appears to be an international organisation called Fever, one of several candlelight concert-promoting Facebook pages I’ve encountered. According to its website the company is running events – predominantly candlelit – in 100 countries. Right now there are candles flickering in the UK, Australia, Spain… the list goes on.

Before the end of the year, Fever has five candlelight concerts scheduled in Auckland, including a tribute to Adele and a “very jazzy holiday special”. Tickets for the Adele event cost up to $75, which, considering tickets to Adele’s Las Vegas residency are going for up to $75,000, arguably represents a massive bargain. The performers for the Adele event are the extremely made-up sounding “Real Entertainment String Quartet” (who do appear to in fact be real).

According to a 2021 Reddit thread about the phenomenon, the candlelight events are all real too – though the reviews don’t quite live up to those published on the Fever website. “I’m a violinist and actually performed as part of a string quartet for four of these concerts that took place last week,” one user wrote. “Another [string quartet] had pulled out last minute, worried the whole thing was a scam.” 

Other users reported sudden date changes, mystery surrounding venues and difficulties securing refunds. “I purchased 4x tickets months ago for the concert today in Christchurch. I received an email this morning saying the concert has been cancelled and I’ve been rescheduled to tomorrow’s concert. Bullshit,” someone wrote. 

The first person I spoke to who has attended a candlelight concert in the flesh was, despite my cynicism, full of praise. Eve went to a Taylor Swift-themed candlelight concert in Auckland last year, and said “They played a good range of songs, not just the singles… and the arrangement for the string quartet was beautiful.”

Others were less impressed. Maddie attended a Chopin by Candlelight event and said that while it wasn’t a scam, she left disappointed – largely because the advertised candlelight was provided by LED candles. “You think you’re going to be in for this really ambient, cosy evening and then there are all these nasty artificial candles killing the buzz,” Maddie said, also expressing dismay at having to sit on “those shitty wooden benches that you get at school assemblies”.

She added: “I wouldn’t say we were scammed but it was definitely a letdown. I’m sure they have a million fire regulations that mean real candlelight is impossible but the ads suggested it’d be real candlelight and were misleading in that sense.”

The supplied images of the sponsored ad that first lured in Maddie versus her actual experience tell a story.

“The candles were fake, and they were so sparse.” (Photo: Supplied)

I’m not the first person to raise suspicion over these concerts – Consumer NZ said last year that Netsafe had reported 13 complaints about the company. And in a statement to The Spinoff this week, a Consumer spokesperson said it had expressed concerns over Fever’s “dicey terms and conditions”. 

“The promoter’s terms of use still say tickets are not refundable. If the event is cancelled or postponed, the venue is changed or any other significant change to the event occurs – the terms say a customer should contact Fever within a specified timeframe to request a replacement ticket or voucher for an equivalent amount,” they added. “The terms risk misleading consumers because if a show is cancelled or the venue is changed and it no longer suits the customer, they’re entitled to a refund.”

If you’re in this position yourself, you can always ask your bank for a chargeback if you paid by credit or debit card, the spokesperson said, or lodge a complaint with the Commerce Commission.

One issue that appears to have been rectified by Fever over time is that of the mystery venues. Previously, Fever said it believed keeping venues secret until the last minute helped to “build interest” in the events. It appears they’ve since reconsidered this policy of secrecy: the forthcoming Adele event is being advertised for the Skycity Theatre.

After looking into this phenomenon, my Instagram feed is now – you guessed it – a steady stream of ads for candlelight concerts. And if it wasn’t already, after reading this yours probably will be too.

Know more about candlelight concerts? Email stewart@thespinoff.co.nz

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